


Redeemed At Last

by Stargazingxo



Category: Klaroline - Fandom, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28244640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargazingxo/pseuds/Stargazingxo
Summary: The gang is out scavenging for a relic to kill Silas, leaving Klaus & Caroline to fend for themselves. Klaus takes matters into his own hands regarding Caroline’s safety while she finds herself falling for him ; the man responsible for her breakup with Tyler.All Klaroline fans wanted Klaus to stay in Mystic Falls and have a long love story with Caroline. What would have happened if he had no obligation to leave & decided to stay? Would he try and fix his mistakes to win the love of his life? This is the redemption that Klaus deserved on TVD if TO never happened.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. From Dusk Till Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in season 4. Canon divergence starting from 4x13. Finding the cure freed Silas. Stefan,Damon,Elena,Bonnie and Jeremy are off again to find a weapon to kill him. Much to Carolines dismay, Tyler has left town to turn Klaus’s hybrids against him. So she has decided to give up on their relationship. Although Klaus is planning to leave Mystic Falls, he still has a few more things left on his to-do list, like mending his ways and winning Carolines heart....

“Don’t do this to me Klaus.” Caroline was tired of his constant persuasion. There was a time when being chased around by him felt like a page out of a fantasy but it has turned into her worst nightmare. “Do what?,” he said with a teasing look on his face that made her question her decision to let him into her house. 

Apart from his obvious good looks and the whole bad boy image, the one thing she couldn’t stand was his wandering eyes that always seemed to scan her whenever he encountered her. Those eyes would admire how she looked whether she was in a ballroom gown or sweatpants and they would always end up glaring into hers glistening with hidden desires. Yes. This time it was different. This time she wasn’t annoyed by his flirtations. Caroline was starting to realise that he had slowly managed to break down the walls she had put up to keep him at bay. She was glad that he didn’t seem to catch the fact that what she actually meant to say was, “Don’t make me throw away all my principles and run away with you.” 

Instead she managed to say,“Don’t try to distract me. no matter how may times you ask, I’m not coming with you.” His eyes turned from glistening to concerned. Trying not to raise his voice at her, he said, “So you would rather stay here and get murdered by Silas than come to my house? You know that you’ll be safe there. I had my witch put up a protection spell so that any one of Stefan's doppelgängers wouldn’t be able to enter. Stefan agreed to give his blood for the spell so that his friends would be safe. Just because they’re off to some island doesn’t mean that Silas won’t come for us.” 

Ignoring the novelty of his efforts to be calm around her, Caroline opened her mouth to talk back at him, but he beat her to it. “Before you ask! yes I did tell Stefan that the witch would put a spell on ' Elena's ' house and yes I compelled him to forget that it ever happened. But had I not done that, we wouldn’t have anywhere to go, now would we?” 

All of a sudden the wild thoughts she was having about him stopped and she fell back into reality. “God, you haven’t changed one bit. besides, Stefan takes vervain. How did you even compel him?” Klaus laughed, “Luckily, he had forgotten that night”. She snapped back, “Do you just try to compel us everyday to see if you’ll be able to do it or not?” He was amused at by her question. “Well, not everyday and never you,” he said. She found it hard to believe. “You wouldn’t be able to anyway because unlike him, I never forget it.” 

“You have nothing to worry about love. you know I’ll never pry on you.” Somehow she could tell that he was telling the truth. Sure, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it back then. But he was different now. Not just towards her. Damon and Stefan actually consider him an ally now. Though Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy would die before trusting him, even they couldn’t deny that he’d been surprisingly helpful with taking on Silas. 

She wanted to say she believed him, but instead she asked “If I go with you, will you promise to not talk to me until I leave?” His face dropped. She could see him trying to find the right words to say. "another thing he didn’t do before," she thought. Even after being silent for a while, all he managed to say was “Okay.”

The car ride to his house was silent as well. She knew she upset him, but she had no choice. Her alternative was making small talk while being stuck in a house with him until dawn. It was barely dark out. If only he knew that she couldn’t talk to him because it confuses her and clouds her judgement. If he was aware of it, not only would he be thrilled, he would also try to push her over the edge and try to convince her to be with him. And she was afraid that this time he might be successful in doing so. She had no idea how she would manage to stay away from him, but for now all she had in mind was hiding out and being safe until her friends come back with hopefully a way to put Silas away for good. If she had known that staying back to make sure her mom was safe instead of going with her friends would lead to her spending this much time with him, she would have somehow convinced her mom to go to the island with her. Now she has no choice but to listen to him because she knew his house was her best bet when it came to her safety, 

“Here we are,” he said opening her car door. All she said back was “Thanks.” He started mentally kicking himself for talking to her after telling himself that he wouldn’t unless she initiated a conversation, but he couldn’t help it. Caroline was always cold towards him, but she always had something to say to him. Although he could tell that she wasn’t upset with him, he wasn’t able to understand her expressions. She was standing next to him, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. He aimed to find out what got her so puzzled before the day was over.

“So when you said let’s not talk, did you mean about the murdering psychopath who’s out to get us, the weather or current affairs?” He asked while taking a seat on the sofa near his fireplace. Giving him the side eye, she said, “I meant in general Klaus.” He smirked. “Why? Cat got your tongue?” It's only when he says such things, she's reminded that he's centuries older than her. "No. I’m just tired. Besides, what do we have to talk about?." "Okay now she’s cutting it," he thought to himself. “It’s not like we had anything to talk about before, but that didn’t stop you.” She got up angrily and ended up near the windowsill and started fiddling with the curtains. Klaus was almost startled with her behaviour. Caroline Forbes is many things, but she's never shy. Even the 1000 year old hybrid couldn't faze her. So this was new to him. He wasn't sure how to approach her, but he just got up and walked over to her “Caroline, what’s wrong? just tell me.”


	2. The Much Needed Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline confronts Klaus on his past actions. He has no choice but to lay his heart on the table. Later, she makes an important phone call.

“You can’t just kill our friends and then go on to do a couple of nice things and expect us to forgive you or forget who you really are Klaus. If something was wrong, which it isn’t, I would tell a friend and you are certainly not my friend so stop asking me things”. He expected her to say she was worried about her friends or her mom. “Maybe I should have stayed quiet” he thought. Since it was too late, he began to answer her, “Ouch. Tell me how you really feel. And what am I ‘really’?” “You’re a murder” she yelled. “Like you haven’t killed anyone,” he said rolling his eyes. “Not in cold blood. Not for revenge. Not to get my own way.” Whatever hope he had in building a friendship with her came crashing down at her words. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know why I did those things. Like you don’t know what i have been through”. She wasn’t sure whether she crossed a line. Deep down she knew she had started to forgive him. And she hated herself for it. But she always meant to confront him regarding everything he’d done.

“Using Mikael as an excuse for every horrible action you’ve done is getting really old Klaus. I’m sorry he was horrible to you. I can’t imagine what your childhood was like, but you are the one who decided to kill Jenna and Carol, not him. Jenna was the only parent Elena had left. And Carol.” She couldn’t even finish saying her name without sighing. “She wasn’t part of some ‘moonstone ritual’ so why did you kill her?” Klaus knew he would have to answer to her someday but he didn’t expect it to be tonight. He would have never guessed that he would go onto regret performing that ritual. Sure it gave him immense power but he never thought it would be something that got in the way of him and the only woman he ever felt a connection with. 

“I’m sorry.” Caroline was expecting him to say many things but sorry wasn’t one of them. “The curse that my mother put on me to subside my werewolf side was to erase the embarrassment she felt to call me her child. During the long hours of getting tortured by Mikael and the decades running away from him, the only solace I found was that, one day I will be able to break out of the barriers my mother put to hide my true self. My ambition was to create more of my kind so that maybe one day, I would be able to know what my siblings truly felt to be surrounded by family because the times I became an outsider among them outweighed the times I felt like I was a part of their family,” he said with a look on his face that she had never seen before. It was sincerity. 

The man standing in front of her seemed like a little boy compared to the big bad original vampire she once imagined when she first heard petrifying tales from people who had encountered him. This man seemed desperate for affection and acceptance. Things she had already started to feel for him. Although she knew his past didn’t excuse his behaviour, the part of herself that wished she could forget the terrible things he’d done was happy to hear that there was a genuine reason behind the terrifying moonstone ritual she was almost a part of. Then it hit her.

“Your minions first took me to be sacrificed. If I wasn’t rescued, I would be dead. Still feel okay about it?” He was running out of explanations. “I didn’t know you back then. Caroline I beg you to try and understand. Someone had to die that night.” “That maybe so, why did you kill Carol then? Was it because of me?” She finally asked him the question that had been taunting her for months. “That was because Tyler killed my hybrids. After all, you should realise why they were so important to me” For her, his answer to this question didn't sound remotely as genuine as the last one. “Don’t pretend that the hybrids who you claim to be family, are nothing more than servants for you Klaus.” With that, she walked out of the room. 

She sprinted over to an empty room upstairs and sat down on the ground. Picking up her phone, she called her newly proclaimed best friend. “How is it going Stefan?” Caroline asked, hoping to hear him say that they were on the way home so that she could finally get out of there. “Not great. Damon has us going on hitch-hikes but no sign of a weapon yet. Is everything okay over there? Silas didn’t come around, did he? I know Klaus would be keeping an eye on you,” Stefan said warily. Caroline heard Damon laugh and say, “The only thing he’s good for.” Half smiling, she said, “Thanks for the concern Damon. And don’t worry Stefan, I’m fine.” She wanted to tell someone about what was going on with her and knew only Stefan would be able to understand. So, she began to speak, “Stefan, Do you think it’s possible for people to change?” 

Stefan started walking over to a secluded part of the woods. He was silent for a while before finally saying, "Well Damon has sort of and you once said that becoming a vampire changed you. I know Elena has certainly changed." Caroline felt bad for him. They were all hoping that taking the cure would make Elena go back to being her past self. But even after taking it, she had decided to be with Damon. "I'm sorry Stefan. I know you're hurting, but it'll get better" she said in an assuring tone. "Hey, I'm fine. Besides we have Silas to worry about. I can't believe that I'm in the middle of nowhere searching for an ancient artefact for the second time in one year. Finding the cure lead to Silas. I wonder what would come out of this supposed weapon to kill him," Stefan said sarcastically. Caroline found the situation ironic too.

"Stefan, don't be mad, but I think I'm starting to have feelings for Klaus." Caroline said while clenching her phone with one hand and covering her ear with the other. "So you finally realised it," Stefan said laughing. "I'm glad you find my misery so amusing. Promise me that you'll still be my friend when Elena,Bonnie and Tyler find out and disown me. Oh god they'll hate me. Won't they? But I swear! It's like he's a different person now. I mean you were once his friend, so you get it right?' Caroline said all in one breath. "Hey, calm down. You can't help who you like. And they won't disown you. They'll just hate you for a decade or two." 

Klaus was waiting for Caroline to calm down and come back to talk to him, but she'd been gone for too long. His new found patience was running out. So he went over to the room she ran into and heard her voice, "Stefan, I'm serious. He killed Jenna and Carol. How could I ever forgive him?" He quickly walked away and sat down in the living room. At that moment he knew that no amount of explaining would earn her forgiveness or trust. Rectifying his wrongdoings was close to impossible, but he had managed to defy the balance of nature itself and turn the most unfeasible things into reality. He was in turmoil and the name that came to his mind was his ever devoted older brother Elijah. He was aware that he couldn't re-write history but with Elijah's help, he knew that he could come up with something.


	3. My Brother's Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus bares his soul to Elijah and seeks his guidance. As always, his brother is more than willing to lend an ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We can't talk about Klaus's redemption without mentioning Elijah, now can we?

Elijah was sat in a bar in Madrid, sipping a whiskey neat. Although the freedom from being confined to a coffin for decades at the hand of his brother was enjoyable, the solitude he felt at that moment, was not. As he found himself missing the company of his family, his phone started ringing and his most infuriating sibling’s name appeared on it. After letting it ring for a solid minute, he picked up saying, “Ah brother, I was wondering when you’d need me to come back and get you out of trouble again.” On any other day, Klaus would taunt Elijah for the deliberate delay in picking up his phone. But today, he had more pressing matters to discuss. 

“Elijah, do you think I’m doomed to be alone for eternity?” Klaus asked with a remorseful look on his face. The desperation in his brothers voice took Elijah back to the very first years they spent as vampires, where Klaus relied on him for protection against their vengeful father. He began speaking cautiously, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

“I used to never think twice about causing someone insurmountable pain. But I’m wondering whether all the suffering I’ve inflicted on others was absolutely necessary. These days I find myself reminiscing about our childhood, when the mere thought of hurting someone never crossed my mind.”

Elijah always yearned to see Klaus become the benevolent man that he would have grown up to be, had their parents not burdened them with the weight of immortality and the bloodlust that came with becoming savage beasts. The voice coming from the other end of the phone sounded a lot like what he had imagined that man to sound like. “Brother, are you unwell?,” He asked hoping to lift Klaus’s spirits.

“In a thousand years I’ve fallen in love once or twice. I thought the desires I felt back then were just as staggering as the pain I felt when those dalliances ultimately ended in agony. But I have met a woman who makes those sentiments feel like child’s play in front of what I feel for her. She has me wishing I was my old self, before my soul got lost, haunted by the screams of my victims.” Klaus had never been so candid about his feelings for Caroline. But voicing them felt liberating to him. “Who is this woman that’s got my brother sounding like a human being again?” Elijah asked curiously. 

”Caroline. You’ve met her at the ball our mother threw to scam us in to getting killed.” Elijah remembered the young blond that had his brother smiling from ear to ear that evening. “Oh yes. What a night that was. I think I vaguely recall you trying to impress her with your mysterious paintings. But brother, you’ve never had any difficulty charming women. If I’m not incorrect, even if they resisted your mystique, you had no trouble compelling them and having your way. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your touch.” 

“No Elijah. I have not.” Klaus felt himself losing his temper. “She’s Elena’s friend. Her ex-boyfriend is the first hybrid I sired. I also happened to kill his mother.” Elijah sighed. “My god Niklaus. Was it absolutely necessary to kill her?” Klaus was tired of hearing that question. “That is neither here nor there, brother. Anyway, Caroline seems to hold on to the fact that I killed her and Elena’s aunt. I just want to show her that I regret my actions and that I’m capable of change. But words can only get me so far. So brother, if you could keep your humour aside and at the very least, pretend to be supportive, I will think twice about daggering you the next time I see you.” For a while Elijah couldn’t almost recognise his brother, but there he was again. He was still Klaus Mikaelson after all. But his threats never fazed him, specially when they were laced with wit.

“Calm down brother. I’m glad that you finally met a woman who’s capable of making you gain interest in changing your ways. Whatever it is that you need from me, I will give you.” Always and forever was a vow that Klaus had managed to break many times. But throughout the centuries, Elijah was nothing but loyal to him. Klaus promised himself that he would try to be more deserving of that loyalty. “Thank you brother. Truly,” he said sounding optimistic. “Have you heard of a coven of witches in New Orleans that secretly perform rare dark magic?” Klaus had no idea what Elijah was getting at. “Apart from a useful spell or two, I have always found witches to be nothing short of a pain in the ass. So I’m certain that they won’t help me to accomplish anything useful unless I blackmail the better part of their coven” Elijah was beginning to realise that Klaus was still a work in progress. 

“Let. Me. Finish, brother. There have been whispers around the quarter that they perform necromancy. I doubt that Caroline will remain displeased with you, if you negated some of the mistakes you’ve made.” Elijah was always the problem-solver of the family, but Klaus was never not surprised at how fast he managed to calm his worries. He laughed and began to speak, “My brother Elijah, always the one with the solutions to anything. Do you mind tracking them down for me? Tell them that I have to bring someone back from the dead,” Klaus said grinning. “For you brother, anything. I will call you with details soon,” with that he hung up.

Carolines conversation with Stefan gave her some comfort. He had told her to not beat herself up over her feelings. She decided to let time take care of her problem as Stefan suggested. She was glad that he understood her. “If all this goes downhill, at least I’ll have one friend left,” she thought. As she got up to go downstairs to find Klaus, she heard an explosion and looked out the window to see Klaus’s jeep engulfed in flames. She quickly turned around and saw Klaus standing in front of her with a finger on his lips. He gestured her to move away from the window. As they stepped aside, the glass in the window shattered and flung across the room.


	4. Midnight Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline and Klaus have an uninvited visitor. Later, they decide to keep their differences aside and be in the moment.

The door Klaus closed behind him was forced opened and Silas was standing in front of it. “If you thought that a little ‘spell’ would keep me from entering this so-called mansion of yours, you thought wrong. I was planning on devouring you two, but you see, I’m feeling a little down today, so I don’t have the energy to murder someone right now. But If your little witch friend doesn’t undo the clocking spell she did on Amara, I will put you through so much hell, that when I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you,” he said nonchalantly as if he didn’t just threaten to kill them. Klaus started to move towards him furiously, planning on beating the life out of him, but the speed at which Silas disappeared was no match for even the thousand year old hybrid.

“I’ll never get over how much he looks like Stefan,” Caroline said looking around the room. “Really Caroline? That’s what you’re thinking right now? Did you not hear what he said? Call Bonnie. Now.” Caroline started laughing. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were scared right now.” Klaus couldn’t help but laugh along. “No love, I’m just a little worried, is all. I have always found witches a bit sickening. They’re never up to any good. And the fact that this one happens to be immortal is not reassuring” She knew he was right. Silas was so powerful that he could control the minds of the most powerful beings. If Klaus was worried, Caroline was horrified. 

Caroline called bonnie while Klaus went outside to deal with his car. When he walked inside, his white t’shirt was covered in water and ash. The almighty Klaus Mikaelsson was taking care of his own business for once. She handed him a towel and told him that Bonnie asked them to stay put. “I thought she was supposed to be the most powerful witch in Mystic Falls. What is taking her so long? It never took her so long to come up with ideas to ruin my plans,” He went on. “That’s because Silas is so much more powerful than you,” Caroline said with a grin on her face. “I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that,” Klaus said, trying to not sound upset. “I can say it again,” she joked.

He put the towel aside and walked closer to her, held on to her shoulders and started to stare into her eyes. “As long as we’re on speaking terms, I don’t care what ever it is that you say to me” Caroline felt herself sinking into his eyes. She always hated how she couldn’t decide exactly what colour they were. “They’re definitely blue today. What am I doing? I need to get away from him now,” she thought. “Coffee. I’m gonna go make us some coffee. If you don’t mind me using your kitchen,” she managed to speak after a while. Klaus could tell that he got under her skin and began congratulating himself. “No. go ahead,” he said before going upstairs to shower and clean up the room Silas demolished. 

When she decided to go to his house, sipping coffee with him in front of his fireplace, reminiscing about their lives wasn’t on her plans. But there she was. It’s not like she had anything better to do. If Silas came back to find her again, having an original vampire by her side didn’t seem like a terrible idea. She had so many things running around in her mind, but what came out of her mouth was, “So, your friend Magellan. Exactly how imaginary is he? “She does remember the things I say to her” he thought to himself. “He was as real as the gold flecks in your eyes, love. I have you know, he was the greatest sailor I have ever met. We once sailed the North Sea together.” She was staring at him talk, reflecting on his past and flirting with her all at once. “Okay. Okay. Let’s say I believe you” 

“Why is it that an ambitious girl like you decided to stay in Mystic Falls forever?” She knew what he was getting at. “Well my mom is here. And my friends” His face darkened, “And I presume Tyler is going to settle down here” There it was. “I don’t care where he settles down. If you didn’t already know, he and I broke up. For good this time. He seems to be more interested in hating you than loving me. So congratulations.” 

She had no idea why she just told him those things or why she congratulated him. “I’m sorry. If he ran off assuming I might hurt him, you can tell him to come back. I won’t lay a finger on him. You have my word.” Klaus Mikaelson sounding selfless. And she didn’t even have to beg him. Caroline didn’t think she’ll live to see the day. “Thanks. But I think it’s too late. He and I are just not on the same page anymore. She sighed. Klaus didn’t know whether to be happy for himself or feel bad for her. He remained silent until she spoke again. 

“It’s not forever” He looked at her, confused. “Living here. I mean. Who knows I might go and live in Hawaii for a year,” he said, smiling. “Don’t smile back. Don’t smile back,” she told herself. And yet she felt herself grinning. "Damn it Caroline. Seriously?," she thought. She knew that she was practically flirting with him now. “Might I suggest a place a little North of Hawaii? Perhaps somewhere with not as many bugs.”

“I’ll stick with Hawaii for now.” They kept on talking for a while. Klaus told her all about his childhood before his father found out about his mother’s infidelities and decided to punish him for them, about his deceased younger brother Henrik that he adored and what Mystic Falls was like in the tenth century. 

“So you had six kids living in the same house. Wow! I would have gone insane.” He loved how that was the part that concerned her the most when he talked about his village and home. “Well. I almost did. Luckily, I discovered art and started painting to keep myself busy.” She always wondered how he learned how to paint so well. “That many siblings. I wish I at least had one,” she said sounding glum. “You can have mine if you want. I’m keeping Elijah though.” She stuck out her tongue and made a face at him, saying, “No thanks. I’ll pass.”

Caroline was shocked to see the time when she looked down her phone to see whether someone had called with an update. Stefan had texted that he had no good news to share yet. She wasn’t sure how to end their conversation. A part of her didn’t want to, but she thought it was better to get out before she said something she’d regret later. “So, we should probably get some sleep. You mind if I take the couch?” Klaus was insulted by the fact that she thought he was going to let her sleep on a couch. “Nonsense, you’re sleeping in the guest room.” She couldn’t help but smile. Klaus went to his room, feeling strangely content knowing that Caroline was in his house. He fell asleep replaying the conversations they had downstairs, in his head. 

Elijah made a phone call to an old acquaintance, “James, I’m looking for someone who knows about the french quarter coven of witches. Have any idea where I might get some information?” James was a werewolf that lived in New Orleans. Elijah met him a few decades ago, when he was helping Klaus look into the descendants of his father’s bloodline . Although that quest didn’t come to a useful end, James remained somewhat of an ally. “You know they keep their identities a secret. But they seem to be getting more popular these days. A girl came to my bar looking for them a couple of nights ago. She had this list of names and asked me if I knew where to find any of them.” Elijah knew he had to go to the quarter to find them himself. “Well, do you happen to remember any of the names?,” he asked. “Sorry man. I have a hard time remembering the names of the regulars here as it is. But if you find the girl, you might get a lead.” He was beginning to worry that this may not be as easy as he had hoped. If he had a penny for every time he got in trouble because of Klaus. “This girl, who is she?” James searched through his books and grabbed the piece of paper that she left him with a number to call if he had any information. “Says here that her name is Andrea. I’ll send you her number. I gotta say, she didn’t seem that friendly. Also she was one of our kind”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to any 1D fans who liked the chapter title :)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first story I've ever written. Please excuse any errors. If this goes well, I'll update the next chapter. I'm planning for this story to have a few chapters. I would love if you commented your thoughts on this. Constructive criticism is very appreciated :)


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